Egil Selvik will start in goal for Norway against Wales at Ullevaal Stadion on Saturday evening, according to VG.
Ståle Solbakken selected the 29-year-old over Ørjan Håskjold Nyland following a months-long debate over the national team’s starting goalkeeper, VG reported.
Solbakken opted for a change as Norway prepares for the Nations League fixture.
“Det føles helt naturlig og helt riktig nå. Det vil potensielt være mer støy knyttet til om Nyland står, ikke minst hvis han skulle gjøre feil igjen. Solbakken sier at det er en konkurransesituasjon, og da er det Selviks tur nå,” said Trond Johannessen, Vgs landslagskommentator, to VG.
Selvik enters the fixture with nine previous caps for Norway. He is the established first-choice goalkeeper for French club Brest in Ligue 1, where he has started every league match this season, Nettavisen reported.
In contrast, Nyland has made only two appearances for RB Leipzig this term—one in the second round of the German Cup and another against Elversberg, according to Nettavisen.
When he addressed reporters on Thursday, Selvik acknowledged his strong club form but maintained he was unaware of Solbakken’s ultimate choice for the starting lineup against Wales.
“Jeg har gjort det godt i det siste. Jeg håper jeg stiller sterkt som en kandidat,” Selvik told TV 2 on Thursday.
The Nations League match between Norway and Wales is scheduled to kick off at 18:00 local time at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, with live television coverage provided by TV 2.
Selvik is set to earn his tenth international cap if he completes the full 90 minutes against the visitors from Wales.
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